Management of continuous improvement teams: productivity, job satisfaction and customer service

A while ago, I was at the clinic to get my flu shot. As she waited in line, I could hear one of the nurses in the other room loudly describe her manager in unpleasant terms. The main gist of RN’s complaint seemed to center around productivity. According to the nurse, her boss had asked how many injections she had given him at a recent immunization clinic. She proudly reported her total hers, at which point the boss apparently reprimanded her and should have done twice as much.

Given her level of irritation, it’s probably not surprising that when it was my turn to give the injection, I chose the other nurse. Needless to say, the manager’s feedback on his productivity levels had a completely different result than he probably intended. Later, the boss not only had a disgruntled employee on his team, but his conversation quickly translated into poor customer service, as all of us in the waiting room took notice of his feelings when regard. The problem in this case was that the manager did not communicate the improvement goal to his team before the immunization clinics began.

The nurse thought it was fine, and when she found out that her boss didn’t see it the same way, she lost heart. Employee satisfaction with her decreased, but the damage didn’t end there. He was conveying his anger to the team: to the other nurse and the receptionist. Also, she did it in front of a patient, me. As a manager, think about how his interactions with his team to achieve continuous improvement goals reach the customer. I could have left. Instead of a few bucks for a shot, what would have happened at a car dealership and walked away with my checkbook? Or what if you were dealing with a major client who was considering awarding a long-term contract? When managers implement Lean and Six Sigma, it has a ripple effect throughout the company. Those ripples will eventually reach customers. What message do you want those waves to carry?

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